Hilton Head Vacation? Recpmmendations Please!

[divergrrl]

So....DH and I are planning our first va-cay sans kidlets. (gramma & grandpa are on deck..lol)

We were thinking warm, but feel like staying in the states, since a) I hate to fly, and b) I am sick of timeshare sales people at resorts in Mexico, Carribean, etc. My DH isn''t down with a city va-cay, and we need to stay at a Hilton property (enough points for a free week''s stay!)...

So....

we were thinking Hilton Head sounded cool. Neither of us has been to that area of the country & it sounds interesting.

Has anyone been there? What is the best time of year to go? Any information and advice is greatly appreciated. We have no dates set & are completely open.

 

[monarch64]

I love Hilton Head, and the Carolinas in general. Tacori will surely chime in and give you great advice as well since she's in NC.

Last time I was in HH was in 2005...I accompanied DH there on a business/golf trip for his industry. I loved it, you can rent bicycles and ride all around the island. We did that one day but only had about an hour and a half to spend riding so we just went up and down the beach. We stayed at a Marriott which had recently been remodeled, and it was nice but certainly not the RC! Their salon and spa were fantastic, though, I had my hair and nails done and DH got a massage and we were both pleased with our experiences.

ETA: oh, we were there in September, I think. I've been in the Myrtle Beach area in June, July, and August, and those are all super sultry months but still tolerable heat-wise as long as you're staying on the beach. Sept. is a great time to go, and also late spring, imo.

 

[divergrrl]

Monnie: thanks for chiming in! I''m leaning towards a sept vacation, as summer has already gotten really busy for us. So Aug/sept are our only real "free" months.

I just want to relax, dine, listen to some live music, ride bikes, play tennis, maybe play 9 holes...hell...is there DIVING there? There''s an ocean right? (my username...lol) I could use a nice dive...haven''t since my son was born. I should rename my self "was-divergrrl".



So will Sept be a good month to do a little pool lounging?

Have you seen the Hilton there? It looks niceonthe website.

I love the RC too..the one in San fran is my fave...staying there was such a pleasure.

 

[monarch64]

Diver, September is a beautiful month there...I believe we were there in late Sept./early Oct. now that I think about it. It starts to really cool off then, so very warm (but not sweltering) days, and 70-ish nights. Water is still warm enough to swim or dive in...and I bet if you do a little searching online you can find some dive sights to indulge yourself with, hee hee. (yes, there is an ocean there...the Atlantic, to be exact.) You''re silly!

I''ve seen the Hilton, but I don''t recall going in there, we wouldn''t have had a reason to. I really don''t think you could go wrong staying there since it''s the namesake of the island...but stranger things have happened. have you checked it out on tripadvisor or anything yet?

Golf there is spectacular, or so DH says. I don''t golf (yet), so I''m not privy to any firsthand info, sorry.

 

[monarch64]

For you, Divergirl:

South Carolina Artificial Reefs
The most popular of the artificial reefs is Barracuda Alley, a recent addition to the South Carolina seascape. In the process of the planned sinking of this old 140-foot barge, a platoon of armored personnel carriers was sent down with the ship! There''s a good amount of exploring to do at the site, even for beginner divers - generally speaking, the deeper the dive, the more experience you''ll need. You can admire the developing coral, or ogle at the barracuda racing by.
Other reef sites include:
Hilton Head Reef, near Hilton Head and Port Royal - Water depth is 40-50 feet. The reef is made up of plenty of sunken sea vessels, concrete “reef balls,” and battle tanks. It''s a good thing they''re all on the same side. A bit north of Hilton Head is Hunting Island, in whose lagoon you can spot seahorses and barracudas.
Kiawah Reef, around 10 miles south of Charleston - Water depth is 20-40 feet. There are some large barges at this site, plus tugboats and automobiles.
Capers Reef, right outside Charleston, 12 miles from shore - Water depth is 20-45 feet, and there are barges and concrete “reef balls.”
Springmaid Pier Reef, at the pier of that name on Myrtle Beach - This artificial reef consists of tires and concrete units.
South Carolina Shipwrecks
The most impressive and accessible of the wrecks is the General Sherman, a 200-foot blockade-runner sunk in 1874. It lies six miles from Little River Inlet, at the North Carolina-South Carolina border, at 50 feet.

The Sherman dive is good for all skill levels, and if you''re lucky, you might find an old artifact. The rule for all these shipwreck dives is that you''re not allowed to enter the actual wreck - that''s too dangerous. But you are allowed to “fish” for artifacts. Think about it: Most of these ships thankfully did not go down with their crews, but with the cargo and their personal belongings. Even nowadays people still find things, like a belt buckle, or unbroken bottles. Also, the rule of thumb is that the older the wreck, the more corals have encrusted the remains. The Sherman is a real beauty on this account.

But wait! There are other wrecks to explore, aside from the Sherman:
There''s the ship locally called the Governor, but which actually remains unidentified to this day. It was a 200-foot Civil War-era paddle wheeler, and it lies in 80 feet of water some 20 miles off the coast.
In 1942 a Dutch merchant ship called the Hebe and a British sub chaser, the St. Cathan, collided on a moonless night. These two wrecks, around a quarter-mile from one another, are a prime destination for advanced divers; you can find artifacts, plenty of tropical and game fish, and Sand Tiger sharks in the spring and fall. Visibility is among the best in the region.
The City of Richmond, a steel-hulled ferry, sank as she was being towed to the Bahamas to begin life anew as an off-shore casino. She sank in a hurricane 15 miles off the Georgetown shore, with all her goods. At a 20-50-foot depth, this is a beginner- to intermediate-level dive.


I just googled scuba diving in Hilton Head and I think tripcart.com was the site that came up with the above info.

 

[ephemery1]

I looooove Hilton Head... my parents have a home in Palmetto Dunes and it is one of my favorite "escape" vacations. I am heading out the door now, but I''ll chime in with more later!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Oh I wish I knew. I have never been to HH (though I have heard great things about it). It will be warm enough for sure to be poolside in Sept! Diamondseeker might know. She has lived in NC longer than me and I think she does vacation somewhere in SC with her family.

 

[gailrmv]

Diver,
I''ve been a few times (accompanied DH on a work conference) and loved it! However, I don''t think it is a tropical feeling as the carribean would be. We stayed at a nice hotel, and I basically went to the gym and hung out at the pool or beach during the day while DH was at his conference, then went out to eat in the evenings. There were lots of nice places to eat, especially seafood and italian. One night we did a boat cruise with his colleagues and another day we rented a sailboat at the hotel. We also rented bikes and rode around the island. I really like it there, and since it is not toooo far from us, I know we will go back sometime. I have heard the golf is great, but I don''t golf. I don''t dive but I like to snorkel, and to my knowledge there isn''t much off the carolinas (maybe I am wrong).

Basically, if you are looking for a low key, chill vacation, HH is a great place. If you want lots of excitement or something exotic, probably going to be dissapointed.

A bonus: There is a great outlet mall near HH on the mainland.

Also, you would only be a couple of hours from Charleston, and maybe you could spend a couple nights there. It is a really neat historic city on the water, romantic with lots of history. Savannah, GA (similar) is just an hour or so past there, but I haven''t been there since I was a kid, so can''t really comment.

I always find tripadvisor to be a good resource.

Oh, and I think Sept would be a good time to go. Perhaps even better than the mid summer, as it might be less crowded. I would try to avoid whatever weekend before all the kids go back to school - a lot of people try to cram in one last beach weekend then!

Have a wonderful vacay!

 

[divergrrl]

Thanks everyone!!!

TanDogMom, we are looking for a more "chill" of a vacation, and it doesn''t have to be tropical, just warm enough to be outside, take a swim..etc. We are big on the dining..italian & seafood are 2 of my faves!!!!

Well I''m off to trip advisor, I need to find out where we fly into from the NW.

I might still do Hawaii....and now DH is saying Boston. LOL. I thought he didn''t want a "city va-cay!" I guess when I said NYC, he meant ''THAT'' city.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Charleston IS lovely!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, boy, I hate it when I lose a post!

We go to Isle of Palms (Wild Dunes) near Charleston which we love! My sister used to live in HH, but I haven''t been in years. September weather (early in the month is safer) should be good for swimming as long as there is no hurricane!

Plus, you have a better chance of using points in Sept. than in the summer, I would imagine.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 4/8/2008 5:37:10 PM
Author: divergrrl
Thanks everyone!!!

TanDogMom, we are looking for a more ''chill'' of a vacation, and it doesn''t have to be tropical, just warm enough to be outside, take a swim..etc. We are big on the dining..italian & seafood are 2 of my faves!!!!

Well I''m off to trip advisor, I need to find out where we fly into from the NW.

I might still do Hawaii....and now DH is saying Boston. LOL. I thought he didn''t want a ''city va-cay!'' I guess when I said NYC, he meant ''THAT'' city.

How fun sooo many choices. hehe If it were me I would pick Hawaii; it is so romantic there!!! I also loved Savannah a tiny bit more than Charleston. Charleston is bigger and more restaurants. I love the small feel to Savannah. I am glad you and your hubby are having a get away all to yourselves

I only saw HH once since it is only about 1 hr 1/2 approx I think away from Savannah.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 4/8/2008 5:53:14 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Oh, boy, I hate it when I lose a post!

We go to Isle of Palms (Wild Dunes) near Charleston which we love! My sister used to live in HH, but I haven''t been in years. September weather (early in the month is safer) should be good for swimming as long as there is no hurricane!

Plus, you have a better chance of using points in Sept. than in the summer, I would imagine.

That is where we stayed when we went to Charleston....really nice.

 

[krispi]

My BF and I went to Hilton Head for the first time last Memorial Day, and to be honest we really didn''t love it. We''re more Florida panhandle people, I guess. The Atlantic beaches there just weren''t as great. One thing that really left us feeling sour about Hilton Head is how many tolls you have to pay - anytime you want to leave the island, or even just go from one end to the other. But there are plenty of people who do really love it there, so don''t let my opinon stop you if you really want to go. I will say the two best things we did were 1) go kayaking in the intercoastal waterway - so fun, and we saw tons of dolphins! - and 2) take a day trip to Savannah - that was a blast.

 

[divergrrl]

thanks everyone...

we are thinking 3rd week in august.....but my aunt told me hurricanes are a probability. argh..................thats the only time we can go!!!!!!

what do you guys think?